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Cheshire administrators recommend new U.S. history textbook for sophomore course; purchase quoted about $49,000
Summary
District curriculum team presented 'Reconstruction to the Present' as the recommended U.S. history textbook for the sophomore course, citing alignment with state standards and the C3 framework; administrators said a copy will be displayed in the high school library and the purchase will be brought back for board action.
Cheshire School District curriculum staff recommended adopting the textbook Reconstruction to the Present for the sophomore U.S. history course and reported a purchase quote of about $49,000.
District presenters said the textbook was chosen after a multi-year review and comparisons with six or seven other titles and that it aligns with the C3 framework and the district’s interpretation of the new state social studies standards. The committee recommended the single-title approach because the book focuses on the historical span the sophomore course covers (Reconstruction through the present) rather than a full-scope U.S. history volume.
Curriculum staff said they evaluated versions that would serve both honors and regular sections and praised the package’s supplemental materials. They described a departmental process that included a color-coded comparative analysis created by teachers; that analysis will be made available to board members. Staff also said Steve Armstrong, the Connecticut social studies consultant, reviewed the textbook and found it well aligned with the C3 framework and the revised state standards.
Administrators said the district will place a physical copy on display in the Cheshire High School library for two weeks and notify the public at the next board meeting that the text is available for review. Staff requested that the board take formal action following the display period and asked whether the board wanted to vote at the same meeting; a board member asked for a budget clarification before final approval. The transcript records a voice response of “All in favor,” but it does not list a motion maker, seconder, or a recorded roll-call tally.
Board and staff discussion included how the district sequences U.S. history across middle and high school (with an eighth-grade U.S. history course, a freshman world-history course, then a sophomore U.S. history course), and how the new final unit will be developed to extend coverage into the 1990s and early 2000s. Staff said the department plans to continue developing curriculum materials over the summer to cover the more recent decades.
The presentation closed with staff noting the curriculum work of the past three to four years to prioritize content and to free instructional time for more modern-era study. The board did not record an itemized vote count in the transcript; staff said they will bring formal approval to the board after the public display period.
